"I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand" -Chinese Proverb
An Evolution of Teaching (First Draft)
As I enter my own classroom in the future for the very first time, I will be both a teacher and a learner. I envision a progressive cycle: teaching to my students and learning from my teaching. To begin, I will enter my classroom with a toolbox filled with knowledge and my own personal experiences to support my teaching, however, my goal as a teacher is to strive to fill that same toolbox with ideas, lesson plans and learning utensils that will ensure personal growth for each and every one of my students.
I will believe in my students and dedicate each passing day to help them believe in themselves. I believe that every student has been given a set of different ingredients to become successful and accomplish their goals. It is my duty as a teacher to guide students to use those ingredients and reach far beyond their potential in and outside of the classroom. Fueled by compassion for adolescents, I yearn to motivate students to recognize their strengths and passions and use them to make a difference. I believe that every student has something to contribute and it is my job through facilitation to help students discover it on their own.
Teachers have one of the most challenging jobs in the world, even tougher than lets say, juggling. If you asked me to pick up a bag of oranges and juggle, I would laugh at the predestined failure. But if you ask me to model, motivate, facilitate, and inspire, I would smile and tell you I am ready to succeed.
Bridging the Gap
It is not about "how intelligent is he" but rather "how is he intelligent?" All students have something to contribute to their fellow learners but many are never expected to do so. Establishing a community for self-discovery, multiple intelligences and authentic learning driven by mutual respect and understanding is one of my primary goals as a teacher. As a science teacher, I am given the the opportunity to help students strengthen skills critical to science such as problem solving, critical thinking and synthsizing which all mirror important life skills that are required to succeed beyond the classroom walls.
In order to do this, it is important to be actively engaged and involved at all times. Students learn by being doing opposed to hearing or seeing. This is where authentic activies fit in. Particularly when working with adolescents, it is important for students to see the value of a particular lesson plan; one where they will be asked to use their prior experience to make connections or predictions to complete a task opposed to pondering the common thought, "why am I doing this, I will never need to use it outside of this class." My goal is to create lessons that will bridge the gap between the classroom and the so-called "real world." I will give purpose to each lesson by ingeniously selecting activies and/or materials that students are comfortably familiar with and centering each lesson around it.
What about the students who are not in the least bit interested in science? I am not naive nor ignorant to the fact that not every student will go on to select a major in science or choose a field in the workforce that pertains to science. This could appear to be a challenge for most, right? Again, I see it as the perfect opportunity to use each student's personal experiences and allow them to bridge the gap between science in the classroom and science in the real world. After all, the underlaying principles and skills associated with both are pertinent in every aspect of life. If I can help students open their minds and strive for personal growth through the teaching of science, I have accomplished what I have set out to do.
An Evolution of Teaching (First Draft)
As I enter my own classroom in the future for the very first time, I will be both a teacher and a learner. I envision a progressive cycle: teaching to my students and learning from my teaching. To begin, I will enter my classroom with a toolbox filled with knowledge and my own personal experiences to support my teaching, however, my goal as a teacher is to strive to fill that same toolbox with ideas, lesson plans and learning utensils that will ensure personal growth for each and every one of my students.
I will believe in my students and dedicate each passing day to help them believe in themselves. I believe that every student has been given a set of different ingredients to become successful and accomplish their goals. It is my duty as a teacher to guide students to use those ingredients and reach far beyond their potential in and outside of the classroom. Fueled by compassion for adolescents, I yearn to motivate students to recognize their strengths and passions and use them to make a difference. I believe that every student has something to contribute and it is my job through facilitation to help students discover it on their own.
Teachers have one of the most challenging jobs in the world, even tougher than lets say, juggling. If you asked me to pick up a bag of oranges and juggle, I would laugh at the predestined failure. But if you ask me to model, motivate, facilitate, and inspire, I would smile and tell you I am ready to succeed.
Bridging the Gap
It is not about "how intelligent is he" but rather "how is he intelligent?" All students have something to contribute to their fellow learners but many are never expected to do so. Establishing a community for self-discovery, multiple intelligences and authentic learning driven by mutual respect and understanding is one of my primary goals as a teacher. As a science teacher, I am given the the opportunity to help students strengthen skills critical to science such as problem solving, critical thinking and synthsizing which all mirror important life skills that are required to succeed beyond the classroom walls.
In order to do this, it is important to be actively engaged and involved at all times. Students learn by being doing opposed to hearing or seeing. This is where authentic activies fit in. Particularly when working with adolescents, it is important for students to see the value of a particular lesson plan; one where they will be asked to use their prior experience to make connections or predictions to complete a task opposed to pondering the common thought, "why am I doing this, I will never need to use it outside of this class." My goal is to create lessons that will bridge the gap between the classroom and the so-called "real world." I will give purpose to each lesson by ingeniously selecting activies and/or materials that students are comfortably familiar with and centering each lesson around it.
What about the students who are not in the least bit interested in science? I am not naive nor ignorant to the fact that not every student will go on to select a major in science or choose a field in the workforce that pertains to science. This could appear to be a challenge for most, right? Again, I see it as the perfect opportunity to use each student's personal experiences and allow them to bridge the gap between science in the classroom and science in the real world. After all, the underlaying principles and skills associated with both are pertinent in every aspect of life. If I can help students open their minds and strive for personal growth through the teaching of science, I have accomplished what I have set out to do.